Features Research
Translational research focus at May Conference

Feb
17, Evanston,  IL – Seven world-renowned researchers and
clinicians in the field of integrative health care will give keynote
presentations at “Highlighting Massage Therapy in Complementary and Integrative
Medicine Research,” hosted by the Massage Therapy Foundation at the Red Lion
Hotel in Seattle WA from May 13-15, 2010.
The
three-day agenda, which focuses on translational research and public health,
also includes two panel discussions, sixty research presentations and posters,
and innovative experiential workshops.

In combining practical applications with
scientific research, the conference will further the progression toward what
the National Institutes of Health promotes as a two-way flow between “bench to
bedside” and “bedside to bench,also known as translational research. The
cyclical outcomes of translational research occur when knowledge gained through
research is applied in practical ways, and additional questions raised through
this practical application motivate further research.
Experientialworkshops are a relative rarity in research meetings.

An academic exchange
between the respective editors of International Journal
of therapeutic Massage and Bodywork and the Journal
of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, Glenn M. Hymel, EdD, LMT, and
Leon Chaitow, DO, ND proposed this unconventional mechanism
for bringing together research and practice. The workshops will include
practical demonstrations of a variety of methods of manual care, combined with
discussions of evidence of efficacy, proposed mechanisms, scientific evidence,
and the expression of needs for future exploration.

The
timeliness of this conference, according to Diana L. Thompson, president of the
Massage Therapy Foundation, is evidenced by the fact that the number of
clinical research studies in the area of massage therapy and integrative
medicine have more than doubled since 2004. Thompson says, “In addition to the
greater number of studies, massage therapists seem to be more curious about
research, educators are more inclined to cite research data in the classroom,
and vendors are more visibly supportive of search with their dollars and in their
advertisements.

The
conference presenters and topics include the following:

Keynote
Speakers
Josephine
Briggs, MD – Director of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
(NCCAM):
Areas of Promise in Research of Complementary and Alternative
Medicine (CAM)

Dan
Cherkin, PhD – Is Massage Effective for Back and Neck
Pain? Applying the Research to Your Practice

Julie
Ann Day, PT – First the Hypothesis: How a Biomechanical
Model can influence Fascial Anatomy Research

Willem
Fourie, PT – Is There a Place for Manual Therapy in Recovery
from Breast Cancer Treatment?

Christine
Goertz, DC, PhD – Translational Research and Manual
Therapies – How Do We Get There from Here?

Helene M. Langevin, MD – Connective
Tissue Physiology and Its Relevance to Manual Therapies.

Whitney Lowe, LMT – Knowledge
Translation: Key Skills for Highly Successful Clinicians.

Panel Discussions
Glenn Hymel, EdD and Leon Chaitow, ND, DO – Moderators: Translating Research into Practice and Practice into Research.

William Meeker, DC, MPH – Moderator: Manual Therapy and the Public Health.

Experiential Workshops

Julie Ann Day, PT – The
Assessment of Upper limb Dysfunctions: Indications for Superficial or Deep
Fascia Work.
Leon Chaitow, ND, DO – Four
Functional Assessment Methods: Their Research Origins and Clinical Usefulness.

Whitney Lowe, LMT – Creative
Applications of Research in the Clinical Massage Environment.

Masahiro Takakura, ND, DC, LAc, CKTI – Introduction
of Kinesio Taping Application for Lymphatic Drainage and Inflammatory Condition.

www.massagetherapyfoundation.org/researchconference2010.html

The Massage Therapy Foundation is a 501(c)3 public charity, with a
mission to advance the knowledge and practice of massage therapy by supporting
scientific research, education, and community service. For more information on
the Foundation, please visit www.massagetherapyfoundation.org

Contact:
Colleen Leeders,
Foundation Manager

ckleeders@massagetherapyfoundation.org
847-905-1635